Performing
by meemzter
Summary: "They were both, at heart, performers." Jade loses another part in a play to Tori and Beck deals with the wrath and insecurities that follow.  One-shot.  Beck/Jade.  Please comment!


They were both, at heart, _performers_.

That was part of what brought them together. For both Beck and Jade, their work was their art, and their art…well…it was everything. They were both serious about their craft and put their ambitions above everything else.

Maybe their passion for performing, Beck thought to himself, was why they always seemed to make a scene.

Jade loved attention. Beck, well, maybe he didn't mind it so much either. He liked being half of the hottest couple at Hollywood Arts. He liked the fact that everyone talked about them, whispered about them, wondered about them. He liked the fact that they could have the whole school in gossip, but that no one, not one of them, actually had a clue.

The thing that no one understood, was that there were two Jades. There was the Jade who presented herself and performed for the outside world. Scary Jade. Angry Jade. Mean Jade. and Beck loved her. She was exciting, she was funny, she was honest. She said things he didn't have the balls to say. Sure, sometimes she took it too far, but Jade would never really cross the line. She'd gotten close to it, _dangerously _close, but that was all.

Then there was the other Jade. Beck's Jade. He felt like she was his special secret. His own private person to love and to need. Sometimes he couldn't believe how lucky he was that he was able to see her. To know her. Because Beck was the only person who knew her like this, and he knew that it was an unbelievable honor. A sacred duty that he did not take lightly.

Today, however, Jade was putting on quite a performance.

Sikowitz had just finished casting the new play they were putting on: "Bora, Bora, Beach Ball," and once again, Tori had snagged the lead.

Beck knew as soon as he saw the list that Jade would be frustrated; it did seem like Jade had been getting a little shafted ever since Tori showed up at Hollywood Arts; but he also knew that Tori was a fantastic actress, and if Sikowitz thought she deserved the part, she probably did.

Beck sighed and tried to think of a way of telling Jade that wouldn't result in an all day screaming fest, but he realized…there wasn't one. He was running different options of what to say to her through his head when he heard a loud growl from behind him.

"Vega?"

Jade's voice still was echoing through the halls as Beck turned around to find her standing a few feet behind him, her eyes locked on the cast list.

"Vega?" she shouted again.

Beck adjusted the backpack strap on his shoulder, waiting for the shit to hit the fan.

He glanced towards her hands, checking for scissors, and was glad to see she wasn't holding any. Maybe they could minimize the damage.

He opened his mouth to say something to Jade, who was still rooted to the spot, but getting visibly more red faced and breathing harder, when Robbie Shapiro stepped up, wielding Rex on his arm.

"What's up, Jade?" Robbie asked, innocently.

Jade turned on him fast, glaring briefly, before a wicked smile crossed her face.

"Hey, Rex," she said, taking a step towards Robbie, "remember when you were in the hospital?"

"Yeah…" Rex replied.

Jade nodded. "That was fun." Beck watched with a mixture of horror and amusement as Jade ripped Rex off of Robbie's hand and chucked him against the lockers.

"Rex!" Robbie shouted, chasing after him. Jade stormed off down the hallway in the opposite direction, Beck guessed, towards Sikowitz's room.

Beck walked over towards Robbie, who was dusting off a rumpled looking Rex. "Everything OK?" Beck asked, trying not to laugh at the distraught look on Robbie's face.

"Hey man," Rex said, "control your girlfriend."

"Yes, please," Robbie chimed in, "Rex could have really been hurt."

Beck nodded, his facial expression blank. "I'll talk to her." Even though he had no intention of doing so.

"Good," Rex said, and then he shuddered, "I can't go back to that hospital. I will not listen to Robbie sing again. Nothing is worth that kind of suffering."

"Hey!" Robbie protested, and Beck left them to their bickering, wondering how he got such deranged friends.

Beck pondered tracking down Jade before class, but he knew she could handle herself, he just hoped she didn't actually _hurt_ Sikowitz. Jail and Jade would not be friends. After school he ran into Tori and congratulated her on the part.

"Thanks, Beck." Tori said with a smile. Then her face fell a little, "Does Jade know."

"Oh, she knows alright."

"Bad?"

Beck shrugged. "Could be worse."

Tori laughed. "I will never understand you two. Anyway, Trina's going to leave me if I don't book it to the parking lot. Later." She dashed off.

"Later." Beck called.

"I should have known I'd find you talking to _her._" Jade stomped up behind him, clearly ready to have a blow out.

Beck smiled, raising up his hands in defense, "I was just congratulating her on the part."

"Oh, so your glad I didn't get it? Another part goes to Tori Vega: yippee!"

Even though he almost always knew it was coming, Jade really knew how to get under his skin.

"I never said that. I'm sorry you didn't get the part-"

"And now you feel sorry for me. That's great. Poor Jade. Jade can't get a part in a play. Wahhh, wah."

"What do you want from me, Jade? Tori's a good actress, she'll probably do a great job."

"I would do a great job!" Jade shouted back, and Beck realized with a groan that they, as always, had an audience.

"I never said you wouldn't!"

Jade was walking towards the parking lot, for which Beck was grateful, because while normally the two of them were content to scream at one another in front of the entire school, Beck really wasn't in the mood today.

He followed her, but neither of them said anything more, and Jade climbed in her car, slamming the front door shut. Beck crossed his arms, staring at her, until she finally rolled down the window. "I'm coming over later." she snapped.

Beck felt relieved and couldn't help but smile. "Later." he said, and walked towards his own car.

By the time Jade came over that night, their argument was long forgotten, but the reason for it was visibly still bothering Jade. Beck had convinced her to play 'Go Fish' with him, and she was totally killing, even though she claimed to hate games.

"I win." Jade declared, counting her pairs in front of her. She smiled, cockily, "I'm so much better than you at this game."

Beck shook his head, fighting back a smile, "This game requires no talent. It is impossible to be good at Go Fish. You're just extremely lucky."

Jade's face turned sour and she stood up from the RV's tiny table and fell onto Beck's bed. "Apparently not."

Beck walked over and lay next to her, resting his head on her stomach.

"I'll leave being lucky to Tori Vega." Jade continued, venom in her tone.

Beck grimaced, "You'll get the next one."

Jade ran her fingers through Beck's hair, gently brushing his scalp. "That's what you said last time."

Beck hated the self-doubt he heard in Jade's voice. His beautiful, talented, confident girlfriend, who loved the stage more than anything in the world should never have to feel this way. It wasn't fair.

"You know it has nothing to do with your talent." Beck said, as if it was obvious.

"Of course it doesn't." Jade snapped. "I'm the best actor at this school."

Beck smiled. "Second best." He teased.

Jade recoiled physically, and sat up a little, fury in her eyes. "You really think that Vega is better than me?" she shouted.

Beck laughed, shaking his head. "I was talking about me."

Jade softened, and actually looked a little embarrassed before sliding back down onto her back. "You're not bad." she murmured.

They lay there for a long time, slowly becoming more entangled in one another's limbs, until much later, when Beck felt sleep start to press in on him. He had almost drifted off when he heard a soft whisper pull him back out of his trance.

"Beck?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you really think I'm good?"

Beck pulled her closer. "Babe, I think you're amazing."

Jade kissed him on the cheek, and they drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.


End file.
